BillK

I have been buying cars for over 50 years, far longer than most people have breathed air. I have purchased cars from every major manufacturer, with the exception of Toyota, Mercedes and the Koreans. In all of this time I had one car that was so fraught with problems that it was ultimately replaced (Audi) and one car for which the dealer blew me off (Infiniti). All of my other warranty experiences have been positive. Perhaps I have an advantage over others. I am a mechanical engineer, and I understand quite a lot about hardware and software. And I understand the complexity of these vehicles and the difficulty in diagnosing certain problems. And I understand the limitations of dealer service people. I know how to communicate with service people and I do not throw rocks when the service department doesn’t get it right. I work through it with them. I don’t see why Acura would be any different from any other manufacturer I have ever dealt with. I am on my second MDX. The dealer I have taken my car to is Acura of Peoria (AZ). I did not buy the car from them. They have been excellent - so far, so good. And I have every confidence that if the tranny on my MDX goes belly up it will be fixed under warranty, trailer hitch or not.

getakey

you are in a bubble
I happen to be a Mechanical Engineer as well with excellent communication skills
I had a run in with my Dealer over a failed battery. I had battery checked at Dealer because it was exhibiting signs of failing (failure of steering wheel to telescope). Battery was under warranty. Dealer claimed battery OK. Left on trip and battery failed. Had to buy new battery to get back home
Took into Dealer and guess what they did - they replaced my new battery and said that is what Warranty allows. So now I spent $$ on new battery that they replaced
I had to go thru 2 weeks of discussions to get reimbursed

Now compare that to an expensive tranny repair - no way they will repair your tranny with a hitch installed

moose66

interesting back and forth with the different viewpoints. Engineer or not, here's hoping no one has to go to bat with Acura over a failed tranny, with or without a hitch used for pulling or merely carrying.

BillK

This is crazy. You tell me what a schlock outfit Acura is, that they will not stand behind their warranties. Then you turn around and give an example in which they not only honored the warranty terms, they went beyond. Warranties are about authorized dealers fixing problems, not paying cash for the work of third parties. Yes, they missed the diagnosis. So what? It happens all the time in every car dealership that ever there was. Acura was under no legal obligation to give you anything beyond what the warranty specified, but they did. This makes them a schlock outfit, inferior to other car companies? How is that? And which other companies?

People reading this can decide for themselves if the person I am corresponding with understands real world business practices. Acura is a terrible company, Acura will not stand behind its warranties, Acura will require its customers to prove a negative. Where is the evidence to support any of this nonsense?

For my part, I have provided evidence: As I stated in an earlier post, I have attached a trailer hitch to my hybrid. Subsequently, I needed transmission service and had my transmission serviced by an authorized Acura dealer under warranty - Acura of Peoria - and it all went off without, well... a hitch.

I encourage hybrid owners who have a need for a hitch for mounting a box or rack to do their own diligence, to get the facts, and to not be discouraged by unsupported internet speculation and whining about how bad a company Acura is and how they won’t stand behind their warranties.

I have invested more than enough of my time in this discussion. Over and out.

getakey

beyond warranty? The battery warranty was full replacement within 3 years. I had taken the car in for regular service after my trip and told them what happened. I brought the old battery with me and said I had to buy a new battery to get back home. I said that they should provide some sort of compensation which would seem reasonable since I was out the full cost of a new battery that they should have replaced before my trip. When I picked the car up, they told me they replaced my NEW battery. What sort of reasonable service department would do that?

I'd say anyone putting on a hitch themselves for the purposes of a bike rack should be aware of the potential consequences

fiatlux

Here you go:
https://acurazine.com/forums/fifth-g...7-18-a-963741/
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-rdx-...%2A%2A-979452/
https://acurazine.com/forums/fifth-g...-error-960706/
https://acurazine.com/forums/5g-tlx-...lating-930607/
https://acurazine.com/forums/fifth-g...7-18-a-963741/
https://acurazine.com/forums/5g-tlx-...-2-3-a-919230/

It's not hard to find more if you just look around.

jason60050

Just had my dealer install a oem hitch on my sport hybrid. For bike rack only. Dealer didn’t make a fuss about warranty issues. I did not have the wiring harness installed as this hitch is only for bike rack duty.

biswasd

Hi Jason -

I'm buying a SH Hybrid in the next few days and also want an OEM hitch. Can you please confirm which one they installed for you? Was it the one with a 3500lb capacity or the 5000lb capacity hitch? Do you have an part numbers for the hitch that you'd be willing to share?

Thanks so much in advance for your help.

MCRacer

Based on what I have read, there is only one trailer hitch for the non hybrids. For the non hybrid Towing rating is 3500lbs w/o a transmission cooler, 5,000 lbs with a transmission cooler.

biswasd

Yes i saw that as well. Which is why I'm confused as to which one to get for my hybrid.

andysinnh

There is only 1 OEM hitch for the MDX - and it can handle up to the 5000 lb rating if the vehicle (non-hybrid) is equipped with the transmission cooler. If the cooler is not there, then the rating goes down to 3500 lb. The hitch is the same, and I've never seen a second hitch (OEM) for the 3rd gen MDX's. Even the aftermarket hitches (i.e. Curt, etc) offer only a single hitch with a 2" square receiver. There MAY be an aftermarket hitch with a 1 1/4" square hitch (Class II), so make sure if you go aftermarket you confirm it's a 2" square receiver opening....